The Fuentes Family

37

Alex

"I should go - I'm meeting Amelia in half an hour."

Dad nods and smiles. "I'm really happy that you've found someone like her."

"Thanks, but i'll probably mess it up again."

"As long as you don't get her pregnant then leave." He looks down, a hint of seriousness in his tone.

"Is that what you did to Mom?" I frown. Is this his way of finally telling me about the shit he's done? Maybe he feels guilty and wants to get it off his chest. Maybe he's looking for me to tell him that whatever he did, it's okay.

"I didn't leave for good, obviously. But I made some bad choices when she got pregnant with Enrico."

"And what? You didn't want kids?"

"I didn't know what I wanted back then, but I definitely didn't want to be a father at sixteen years old," he pauses. "We had a big fight and I left for a while. During that time I realised that I love your Mom and didn't want that to tear us apart. So I got my life together - got a job - and came back half way through her pregnancy."

I furrow my eyebrows, thinking. "What job?"

"Working for Caligari."

"Why would you-"

"I did some bad stuff back then, and Cal happened to be where I got my stuff. He had offered me work before for good money, so after your Mom got pregnant I didn't see any other option. We needed money."

Wow. Our whole lives got screwed up because of that one thing, and it turns out he only did it out of love for my Mom and our family. Wow.

"I just don't want you to do what I did. Why do you think your Mom is so stubborn about making sure you kids are safe?" He laughs. "I know Val has his thing with drugs going on, and it terrifies me what he could land himself in."

"I won't let anything happen to him. I don't even let him wear that stupid bandana 'cause I'm scared he'll get too excited and join a gang."

Dad laughs and I laugh along. "You're gonna be a great Dad one day."

I roll my eyes. "Stop. I already deal with all those guys - I wouldn't be able to handle a kid on top of that."

"At least you'll have a lot of babysitters."

"Ha. They'd be lucky if they even meet my kid."

"So when you gonna propose to Amelia?"

"Shut up."

+++

"What are you idiots talking about?" I ask Amelia and the Chrissy dude.

Amelia punches my chest lightly like she always does and I smile. "He's just telling me about-"

"My dog!" Chrissy interrupts, his eyes wide. The fuck? This dumbass better not be doing anything that involves my girlfriend.

"Red, it's okay. Being secretive will only make him jump to conclusions."

"Damn right. And why the fuck do you have a cute little nickname for this prick?"